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The Punjab government Saturday dismissed 152 contractual employees of state-owned bus services and issued notices to others asking them to call off their strike and return to work, failing which their services too would be terminated. The action by state transport department came even as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann invited the protesters to the table for a discussion on their demands.
The contractual employees of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), Punjab Roadways, and Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (PUNBUS) Friday went to strike to protest the opening of tenders related to the kilometre-based bus scheme, which they claimed was a backdoor attempt to bring in private vehicles and dismantle the state-run transport system. They alleged that this would help private operators to run buses on government-notified routes.
“I understand that the employees have a democratic right to protest, but they should make sure that the people are not inconvenienced. I understand their economic and social pressures,” Mann said in Chandigarh.
In Hoshiarpur, however, senior vice-resident of the PUNBUS Contract Workers Union, Sandeep Singh alleged that four of their leaders – state committee member Kulwant Singh, district president Raminder Singh, secretary Narinder Singh and cashier Dharminder Singh – were detained by the police Friday.
“Until they are released, the kilometre-scheme tenders are cancelled, and contractual workers are regularised, our dharna and strike will continue,” said Sandip Singh.
“In the last four years, the government has not provided even a single new bus to Punjab Roadways. Over 500 old buses have gone off the road, and those still running face major repair issues. The department does not have funds even for tyres and essential repairs,” he claimed.
The PRTC and Punjab Roadways have about 5,000 outsourced and contractual employees. As they continued to protest, bus services in parts of the state remained affected for the second day. They protesters claimed that several of their union leaders were detained by the police even before their agitation began.
In Sangrur, the protest turned violent Friday when some employees, who climbed atop buses, splashed petrol on police personnel who were attempting to take them down. Jasvir Singh, the station house officer of Dhuri suffered burn injuries when his uniform caught fire after some unidentified person lit a matchstick. “The flames were doused quickly and 10 protesting employees were booked,” said Sangrur SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal.
He said the SHO is undergoing treatment at the civil hospital for burns on his back, face and arm, which doctors said are minor.
At Patiala bus stand, police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse protestors, during which turbans of several employees were tossed.
Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher came out in support of the agitation and criticised the government over the new scheme, which he alleged favours private contractors and will jeopardise thousands of livelihoods in the transport sector.
Confirming the dismissal of 152 contractual employees, a transport department official said 108 of them were from Punjab Roadways and 44 were employed by the PRTC. They include the 10 from Sangrur who have been booked under attempt to murder charge. They also face sections related to causing grievous hurt by use of acid or other dangerous substances, obstructing and assaulting public servants, voluntarily causing hurt, endangering human life, unlawful assembly and rioting, along with Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act, 2014.
A government functionary told The Indian Express that notices have been served to the protesters asking them to call off their strike. “If the notices do not yield, then we will have no option but to terminate their services. They are contractual and outsourced employees. They can only be terminated. They cannot be put under suspension,” the officer said.
CM Mann, however, adopted a conciliatory tone as he appealed to the protesting contractual employees to adopt the path of dialogue. He said the government is making sincere efforts to resolve all issues of the protesting employees. The state government will soon introduce 900 new buses, he added, urging the protesting employees not to cause any inconvenience to passengers.
PRTC managing director Bikram Singh Shergill, meanwhile, said some of the protesting employees have resumed duty and bus availability has improved. “Out of 1,170 PRTC buses, 463 were on the roads on Friday. This number rose to 630 on Saturday, and we are hopeful that the count will increase further on Sunday,” Shergill said.
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